Hydrogen generation system, hydrogen generation method, and program

Abstract

To provide a hydrogen generation system, etc., that controls the amount of hydrogen produced to an appropriate level and optimally generates and stores hydrogen. [Solution] A hydrogen generation system according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a hydrogen generation unit, a hydrogen storage unit, a remaining amount acquisition unit, and a control unit. The hydrogen generation unit generates hydrogen using biogas generated from biomass. The hydrogen storage unit stores the generated hydrogen. The remaining amount acquisition unit acquires information on the remaining amount of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage unit. The control unit controls the amount of biogas generated by the hydrogen generation unit based on the remaining amount information.

Description

【Technical Field】 【0001】 The present invention relates to a hydrogen generation system, a hydrogen generation method, and a program. 【Background Art】 【0002】 Hydrogen is an energy source with low environmental impact that can supply energy without generating carbon dioxide through combustion or chemical reactions. Hydrogen can be produced without consuming fossil fuels by reforming biogas generated from biomass. Therefore, if biogas can be efficiently obtained from biomass, hydrogen can be suitably obtained. Patent Document 1 describes a methane fermentation control system that can be controlled so that methane fermentation is appropriately performed. 【Prior Art Documents】 【Patent Documents】 【0003】 【Patent Document 1】 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-253870 【Summary of the Invention】 【Problems to be Solved by the Invention】 【0004】 The methane fermentation control system described in Patent Document 1 adjusts the amount of biomass introduced into the methane fermentation layer according to the measured ammonia component and volatile fatty acid in the fermentation residue. However, the methane fermentation control system described in Patent Document 1 does not describe confirming the storage status of the generated gas. Therefore, the amount of gas generated cannot be suppressed to an appropriate amount, and methane fermentation may proceed excessively. 【0005】 In view of the above problems, the present disclosure provides a hydrogen generation system and the like that control the amount of hydrogen generation to an appropriate amount and suitably generate and store hydrogen. 【Means for Solving the Problems】 【0006】 A hydrogen generation system according to one aspect of this disclosure comprises a hydrogen generation unit, a hydrogen storage unit, a remaining amount acquisition unit, and a control unit. The hydrogen generation unit generates hydrogen using biogas generated from biomass. The hydrogen storage unit stores the generated hydrogen. The remaining amount acquisition unit acquires information on the remaining amount of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage unit. The control unit controls the amount of biogas generated by the hydrogen generation unit based on the remaining amount information. 【0007】 The hydrogen generation system described above may further include a hydrogen consumption unit that uses hydrogen supplied from a hydrogen storage unit. In the hydrogen generation system, a remaining amount acquisition unit may acquire information on the amount of hydrogen used in the hydrogen consumption unit, and a control unit may control at least one of the temperature and pressure of the biogas generation environment based on the remaining amount information and the amount of hydrogen used information. 【0008】 In the hydrogen generation system described above, the biomass is livestock manure, the hydrogen generation unit generates biogas through fermentation, and the hydrogen consumption unit may include at least one of a hydrogen combustor and a hydrogen generator installed in a home. 【0009】 A hydrogen production method according to one aspect of this disclosure involves a process in which a computer performs the following operations in which hydrogen is produced and stored using biogas generated from biomass: The computer acquires information on the remaining amount of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage tank. The computer controls the amount of biogas produced based on the remaining amount information. 【0010】 A program according to one aspect of this disclosure causes a computer to perform the following processes in a process of generating and storing hydrogen using biogas generated from biomass: The computer acquires information on the remaining amount of hydrogen in a hydrogen storage tank. The computer controls the amount of biogas generated based on the remaining amount information. [Effects of the Invention] 【0011】 This disclosure provides a hydrogen generation system, a hydrogen generation method, and a program that control the amount of hydrogen produced to an appropriate level and optimally generate and store hydrogen. [Brief explanation of the drawing] 【0012】 [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the hydrogen generation system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart of the hydrogen production method according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram of the hydrogen generation system according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of the hydrogen production method according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a computer. [Modes for carrying out the invention] 【0013】 The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the invention claimed is not limited to the following embodiments. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are necessarily essential as means of solving the problem. For clarity of explanation, the following descriptions and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate. In each drawing, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations have been omitted where necessary. 【0014】 <Embodiment 1> Referring to Figure 1, the hydrogen generation system 10 according to Embodiment 1 will be described. Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of the hydrogen generation system 10 according to Embodiment 1. The hydrogen generation system 10 controls the amount of biogas generated for hydrogen generation based on the remaining amount of stored hydrogen. The hydrogen generation system 10 comprises a hydrogen generation unit 101, a hydrogen storage unit 102, a remaining amount acquisition unit 103, and a control unit 104. 【0015】 Biomass is an organic resource derived from living organisms. Examples of biomass include livestock manure, sewage sludge, wood, or food waste. Biogas is a gas produced from biomass. Biogas is produced, for example, by methane fermentation of biomass using methane-fermenting bacteria. Alternatively, biogas is produced by the thermal decomposition of biomass. Biogas contains methane and carbon dioxide, among other things. Methane fermentation is also called anaerobic digestion. 【0016】 Hydrogen can be produced by steam reforming biogas. Steam reforming is a method of producing hydrogen by chemically reacting steam with hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons include, for example, methane. Steam reforming requires high-temperature steam, resulting in high operating costs. Therefore, it is preferable that the hydrogen production process be efficiently controlled. 【0017】 The hydrogen generation unit 101 generates hydrogen using biogas generated from biomass. The hydrogen generation unit 101 includes a step of generating biogas from biomass and a step of generating hydrogen from biogas by steam reforming. 【0018】 The hydrogen storage unit 102 stores the hydrogen produced in the hydrogen generation unit 101. The hydrogen storage unit 102 is, for example, a hydrogen tank. The tank is also called a gas holder. The hydrogen storage unit 102 stores hydrogen in a gaseous state, but is not limited to this, and may store it in a liquid state. The hydrogen storage unit 102 may also store hydrogen in the form of a hydrogen compound, or it may store it by adsorption onto a hydrogen storage alloy. Furthermore, the hydrogen storage unit 102 may supply the stored hydrogen through a transport pipe or the like. 【0019】 The remaining amount acquisition unit 103 acquires information on the remaining amount of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage unit 102. The remaining amount acquisition unit 103 may include hydrogen remaining amount measurement means in the hydrogen storage unit 102. The remaining amount acquisition unit 103 may acquire information on the remaining amount of hydrogen from the hydrogen remaining amount measurement means provided in the hydrogen storage unit 102. Here, the remaining amount information is information regarding the amount of stored hydrogen. The remaining amount information may be a numerical value or information indicating that the hydrogen storage amount has fallen below a threshold value. Also, the remaining amount information may be storage amount identification information determined stepwise based on the hydrogen storage amount. 【0020】 The control unit 104 controls the amount of biogas generated by the hydrogen generation unit 101 based on the remaining amount information acquired by the remaining amount acquisition unit 103. The control unit 104 may control the amount of biogas generated based on the change over time of the remaining amount information. When the hydrogen generation unit 101 uses methane fermentation, the control unit 104, for example, promotes the methane fermentation of biomass when the hydrogen remaining amount decreases. The control unit 104 may control the pretreatment method for biomass or may control the fermentation environment of biomass. Also, when the hydrogen generation unit 101 uses pyrolysis, the control unit 104, for example, controls the pyrolysis temperature. 【0021】 According to this, the hydrogen generation system 10 can appropriately control the hydrogen generation amount based on the remaining amount of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage unit 102 and can preferably generate and store hydrogen. Therefore, the hydrogen generation system 10 can reduce the equipment related to the hydrogen storage unit 102 by improving the hydrogen storage efficiency and can reduce the costs related to equipment installation and maintenance management. Also, the hydrogen generation system 10 can preferably perform energy utilization in processes such as steam reforming related to hydrogen generation and can improve the energy efficiency. 【0022】 Figure 2 is a flowchart of the hydrogen generation method according to Embodiment 1. The flow of the hydrogen generation method for the hydrogen generation system 10 includes steps S11 to S14. 【0023】 In step S11, the hydrogen generation system 10 generates hydrogen from biomass. The hydrogen generation system 10 generates biogas from biomass and then generates hydrogen from the biogas. In step S12, the hydrogen generation system 10 stores the hydrogen generated in step S11 in the hydrogen storage unit 102. The hydrogen storage unit 102 is, for example, a tank. 【0024】 In step S13, the hydrogen generation system 10 acquires information on the remaining amount of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage unit 102. This information may be obtained by measuring the remaining amount of hydrogen, or from the difference between the amount of hydrogen generated and the amount of hydrogen consumed. The information is not limited to these methods and may be obtained by other means. In step S14, the hydrogen generation system 10 controls the amount of biogas generated based on the remaining amount of hydrogen. The hydrogen generation system 10 may also control the amount of biogas generated based on the change in the remaining amount information over time. 【0025】 As explained above, the hydrogen generation system 10 controls the amount of biogas generated and the amount of hydrogen produced based on the remaining amount of hydrogen information. This allows the hydrogen generation system 10 to control the amount of hydrogen produced to an appropriate level, enabling optimal hydrogen production and storage. Therefore, the hydrogen generation system 10 can suppress excessive hydrogen production, improve storage efficiency, and reduce the installation space and costs associated with hydrogen storage facilities. Furthermore, the hydrogen generation system 10 can appropriately adjust the biogas generation process, improving energy utilization efficiency. 【0026】 The hydrogen generation system 10 may also have a processor and a memory device, although these are not shown in the diagram. The memory device of the hydrogen generation system 10 may include, for example, a non-volatile memory such as flash memory or an SSD (Solid State Drive). In this case, the memory device stores a computer program (hereinafter also simply referred to as a program) for executing the above-described method. The processor loads the computer program from the memory device into a buffer memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and executes the program. 【0027】 Each component of the hydrogen generation system 10 may be implemented with dedicated hardware. Furthermore, some or all of each component may be implemented by general-purpose or dedicated circuits, processors, etc., or combinations thereof. These may be implemented by a single chip or by multiple chips connected via a bus. Some or all of each component of each device may be implemented by a combination of the aforementioned circuits, etc., and programs. Processors include CPUs (Central Processing Units), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), etc. Also, at least a portion of the processing performed by the hydrogen generation system 10 may be provided as SaaS (Software as a Service). The descriptions of the configurations described herein may also apply to other devices or systems described below in this disclosure. 【0028】 <Embodiment 2> Figure 3 is a block diagram of the hydrogen generation system 11 according to Embodiment 2. The hydrogen generation system 11 controls the amount of biogas generated and adjusts the amount of hydrogen generated by controlling the temperature and pressure of the biogas generation process based on the remaining amount information and the amount of hydrogen used. The hydrogen generation system 11 according to Embodiment 2 has some of the same configuration as the hydrogen generation system 11 in Figure 1. Therefore, the explanation of the configuration of the hydrogen generation system 11 that performs the same processing as the hydrogen generation system 11 is omitted. The hydrogen generation system 11 includes a biogas generation unit 111, a reforming unit 112, a hydrogen storage unit 113, a hydrogen usage unit 114, a remaining amount acquisition unit 115, and a control unit 116. The biogas generation unit 111 and the reforming unit 112 correspond to the hydrogen generation unit 101 of the hydrogen generation system 10 described with reference to Figure 1. 【0029】 The biogas generation unit 111 generates biogas from biomass. Here, the biomass is livestock manure. The biogas generation unit 111 generates biogas using fermentation. Fermentation is performed using, for example, methane-fermenting bacteria. In this case, the biogas is methane gas. The biogas generation unit 111 may pre-treat the biomass before the fermentation process. Pre-treatment includes, for example, crushing, sorting, compression, weighing, and solubilization. Solubilization is a process that decomposes biodegradable high-molecular-weight organic matter into low-molecular-weight organic matter to promote methane fermentation. For solubilization, for example, subcritical water treatment, ultrasound, pyrolysis, chemical treatment, biological treatment, or pressurized explosion can be used. The biogas generation unit 111 may include multiple pre-treatment steps. 【0030】 The reforming unit 112 applies steam reforming to the biogas to produce hydrogen. The reforming unit 112 may control its operating rate based on the amount of biogas produced or the state of the biogas generation unit 111. 【0031】 The hydrogen storage unit 113 is equipped with a tank for storing hydrogen and stores the hydrogen produced by the reforming unit 112. The hydrogen storage unit 113 supplies the stored hydrogen to the hydrogen consumption unit 114 using a transport pipe. The hydrogen storage unit 113 is also equipped with a remaining amount measuring means for measuring the amount of stored hydrogen and outputs information on the remaining amount of hydrogen. The hydrogen storage unit 113 may also supply oxygen, which is used by the hydrogen consumption unit 114 along with the hydrogen. In this case, the hydrogen storage unit 113 may also be equipped with an oxygen tank. 【0032】 The hydrogen consumption unit 114 uses hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen storage unit 113. The hydrogen consumption unit 114 includes at least one of a hydrogen combustor 1141 and a hydrogen generator 1142. The hydrogen consumption unit 114 may be installed in a home. In this configuration, the hydrogen generation system 11 can supply hydrogen to a water heater (corresponding to the hydrogen combustor 1141) or a private power generator (corresponding to the hydrogen generator 1142) in the home. The hydrogen consumption unit 114 may also be a facility for filling hydrogen into transport containers, a facility for processing hydrogen for transport, or a hydrogen station, etc. 【0033】 The hydrogen consumption unit 114 is equipped with a hydrogen consumption measurement means for measuring the amount of hydrogen used and outputs hydrogen consumption information. Here, the consumption information refers to information relating to the amount of hydrogen used. The consumption information may be a numerical value, or it may be information indicating that the amount of hydrogen used has exceeded a threshold. Furthermore, the consumption information may be consumption identification information that is determined in stages based on the amount of hydrogen used. 【0034】 The remaining amount acquisition unit 115 acquires information on the remaining amount of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage unit 113 and information on the amount of hydrogen used in the hydrogen usage unit 114. This allows the hydrogen generation system 11 to more accurately predict the required amount of hydrogen to be produced. The remaining amount acquisition unit 115 may, for example, continuously acquire remaining amount information and usage information in real time. The remaining amount acquisition unit 115 may also acquire remaining amount information and usage information at predetermined time intervals. The remaining amount acquisition unit 115 may also acquire a signal output when the remaining amount or amount of hydrogen used exceeds a threshold as remaining amount information or usage information. 【0035】 The control unit 116 controls at least one of the temperature and pressure of the biogas generation environment in the biogas generation unit 111 based on the hydrogen remaining amount information and usage amount information acquired by the remaining amount acquisition unit 115. For example, the control unit 116 calculates the required amount of hydrogen to be produced using the hydrogen remaining amount information and usage amount information, and controls the biogas generation unit 111 to promote biogas generation according to the required amount. In this way, the hydrogen generation system 11 can adjust the amount of biogas produced according to the required amount of hydrogen to be produced, and can produce hydrogen efficiently. Alternatively, the control unit 116 may predict the time when hydrogen will be insufficient using the hydrogen remaining amount information and usage amount information, and control the biogas generation unit 111 based on the predicted time. 【0036】 Furthermore, the control unit 116 controls at least one of the pretreatment process and the fermentation process of the biogas generation unit 111. This allows the control unit 116 to have more precise control over the biogas generation rate. Specifically, when promoting biogas generation, the control unit 116 promotes solubilization by increasing temperature and pressurization in the pretreatment process, and further increases the temperature of the fermentation environment in the fermentation process. The control unit 116 may also add pretreatment processes that can be performed by increasing temperature and pressurization in the biogas generation unit 111. The control unit 116 may also pressurize in the fermentation process to increase the amount of biogas generated. 【0037】 Figure 4 is a flow chart of the hydrogen production method according to Embodiment 2. The flow of the hydrogen production method according to the hydrogen production system 11 includes steps S21 to S26. 【0038】 In step S21, the hydrogen generation system 11 generates biogas from biomass. Next, the hydrogen generation system 11 generates hydrogen from the biogas. In step S12, the hydrogen generation system 11 stores the hydrogen generated in step S21 in the hydrogen storage unit 113. The hydrogen generation system 11 supplies the hydrogen stored in the hydrogen storage unit 113 to the hydrogen consumption unit 114. 【0039】 In step S23, the hydrogen generation system 11 acquires information on the remaining amount of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage unit 113. The remaining amount information may be obtained by measuring the remaining amount of hydrogen, or from the difference between the hydrogen generation amount and the hydrogen supply amount. The remaining amount information is not limited to these methods and may be obtained by other means. In step S24, the hydrogen generation system 11 acquires information on the amount of hydrogen used by the hydrogen consumption unit 114. The usage amount information may be obtained from the operating time or output amount of the hydrogen consumption unit 114, or from the amount of hydrogen supplied. 【0040】 In step S25, the hydrogen generation system 11 determines the amount of biogas to be generated based on the remaining amount information and the amount used information. The hydrogen generation system 11 may further determine the amount of biogas to be generated based on the changes in the remaining amount information and the amount used information over time. In step S26, the hydrogen generation system 11 controls at least one of the temperature and pressure of the biogas generation unit 111 based on the determined amount of biogas to be generated. The hydrogen generation system 11 may add pretreatment by heating or pressurizing in the biogas generation unit 111. 【0041】 As described above, the hydrogen generation system 11 controls the temperature and pressure of the biogas generation unit 111 based on the remaining hydrogen amount and usage amount, thereby controlling the amount of hydrogen produced. In this way, the hydrogen generation system 11 can suitably control the amount of hydrogen produced. Therefore, the hydrogen generation system 11 can optimize the biogas generation process and further improve the efficiency of energy utilization for hydrogen production. 【0042】 Furthermore, the hydrogen generation system 11 uses livestock manure, which is an industrial waste product, to produce hydrogen that does not emit carbon dioxide when used. As a result, the hydrogen generation system 11 can sustainably produce clean energy and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. 【0043】 <Example hardware configuration> The following describes examples of how each functional configuration of the information processing device in this disclosure is realized through a combination of hardware and software. 【0044】 Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a computer. The information processing device in this disclosure can realize the above-described functions using a computer 500 including the hardware configuration shown in the figure. The computer 500 may be a portable computer such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, or a stationary computer such as a PC. The computer 500 may be a dedicated computer designed to realize each device, or it may be a general-purpose computer. The computer 500 can realize the desired functions by installing a predetermined application. 【0045】 Computer 500 includes a bus 502, a processor 504, memory 506, a storage device 508, an input / output interface (I / F) 510, and a network interface (I / F) 512. Bus 502 is a data transmission path for the processor 504, memory 506, storage device 508, input / output interface 510, and network interface 512 to send and receive data to and from each other. However, the method of connecting the processor 504 and other components to each other is not limited to bus connection. 【0046】 Processor 504 is a processor such as a CPU, GPU, or FPGA. Memory 506 is main memory implemented using RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. 【0047】 The storage device 508 is an auxiliary storage device implemented using a hard disk, SSD, memory card, or ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage device 508 stores a program for realizing a desired function. The processor 504 reads this program into memory 506 and executes it to realize each functional component of each device. 【0048】 The input / output interface 510 is an interface for connecting the computer 500 to input / output devices. For example, input devices such as keyboards and output devices such as display devices are connected to the input / output interface 510. The network interface 512 is an interface for connecting the computer 500 to a network. 【0049】 It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the control unit of the hydrogen generation system may acquire external information such as weather, temperature, or day of the week, and determine the amount of biogas generated by predicting the amount of hydrogen to be produced using machine learning or AI (Artificial Intelligence). [Explanation of Symbols] 【0050】 10, 11 Hydrogen generation system 101 Hydrogen generation unit 102 Hydrogen Storage Unit 103 Remaining charge acquisition unit 104 Control Unit 111 Biogas generation unit 112 Modification section 113 Hydrogen Storage Unit 114 Hydrogen-using section 1141 Hydrogen Combustor 1142 Hydrogen generator 115 Remaining charge acquisition unit 116 Control Unit 500 Computers Bus 502 504 Processors 506 memory 508 Storage Devices 510 Input / Output Interfaces 512 Network Interfaces

Claims

[Claim 1] A hydrogen generation unit that generates hydrogen using biogas produced from biomass, A hydrogen storage unit for storing the generated hydrogen, A remaining amount acquisition unit that acquires information on the remaining amount of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage unit, The system includes a control unit that controls the amount of biogas generated by the hydrogen generation unit based on the remaining amount information. Hydrogen generation system. [Claim 2] The system further comprises a hydrogen consumption unit that uses the hydrogen supplied from the hydrogen storage unit, The remaining amount acquisition unit acquires the hydrogen usage information in the hydrogen usage unit, The control unit controls at least one of the temperature and pressure of the biogas generation environment based on the remaining amount information and the usage amount information. The hydrogen generation system according to claim 1. [Claim 3] The aforementioned biomass is livestock manure. The hydrogen generation unit generates the biogas by fermentation. The hydrogen consumption unit includes at least one of a hydrogen combustor and a hydrogen generator installed in a home. The hydrogen generation system according to claim 2. [Claim 4] In the process of generating and storing hydrogen using biogas produced from biomass, Computers The remaining amount information of the hydrogen in the hydrogen storage tank is obtained, The amount of biogas generated is controlled based on the remaining amount information. Methods for generating hydrogen. [Claim 5] In the process of generating and storing hydrogen using biogas produced from biomass, On the computer, The remaining amount information of the hydrogen in the hydrogen storage tank is obtained, The amount of biogas generated is controlled based on the remaining amount information. A program that makes something happen.

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